The sport of kite flying has been known for thousands of years. It has been popular in the United States for hundreds of years and in recent years the sport has gained in popularity amongst educated adults. Over the years various inventors have developed aids to enhance the ease and precision with which one can practice the sport. As early as 1883 a Gunn U.S. Pat. No. 274,490 taught a simple system for winding string which comprised a simple twisted wire frame with a reel mounted therein. The invention included means for grasping the frame with one hand and for rotating the reel with the other. In 1964, McClain U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,356 taught a kite control means involving the use of two strings. Said strings were taught as attached to the opposite ends of the cross brace of a kite and as being brought to a single rod upon which the strings could be wound. In use the kite motion was controlled by varying the tension in the strings separately. In 1972 Wong U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,027 taught a string winding means which included ratched teeth in combination with a handle and a rotatable reel. The invention allows free reel rotation operation, a locked reel position and a user controlled bracking mode of operation. In 1977 Hyun U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,477 taught a kite reel which comprised a centrally located elongated handle to which, at one end thereof, is attached a large diameter spool. The large diameter spool has provision thereon for a user to grasp with one hand, while the other hand grasps the elongated handle. By rotating the hand which grasped the spool one could cause the spool to rotate around the elongated handle and thereby wind string onto said spool. In 1979 Kwon U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,806 taught a system similar in appearance to that taught by Hyun, but which included a clutch mechanism in the spool or reel. Kwon taught that one could grasp the elongated handle at one end of the reel and let the reel spin when letting string unwind from the reel as a kit tugged thereon. Another patent to Kwon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,807 also issued in 1979. That Patent taught a three part handle with an axle affixed at right angles to the portion of the three part handle which a user grasps with one hand during use. On the axle is located a reel which has provision for providing rotation thereto by a user's second hand. A releasable clutch mechanism is also taught as being present at the interconnection of the three part handle and the reel. In a 1987 Prentice U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,217 there is taught a variation on the two string kite control system of McCain. The string winding means in Prentice, however, is separable into two parts. The two parts can be combined to allow string to be wound thereon when desired.
The above summary of prior patents shows that numerous prior Patents have issued for kite flying systems. The use of various designs for and combinations of handles, string reels or spools, ratchets, clutch mechanisms, the number of strings used etc. have provided users with varying and different degrees of capability and ease of use.
The area is seen to be one in which continued interest exists, and in which a need exists for continued advancement.